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Police spent hours on Silver Lane looking for answers about a deadly morning crash.They say a driver of a stolen car died when they slammed into a sanitation truck. (Published Monday, Mar 3, 2014)

Updated at 10:37 AM EDT on Friday, Mar 7, 2014

An East Hartford teen is dead after a Honda struck a sanitation truck on Silver Lane in East Hartford on Monday.

The crash happened on Silver Lane near the intersection with Holland Lane around 11 a.m. Monday and police identified the driver of the car as Leonel Colon, 17, of East Hartford.

On Monday, police said the car was stolen and the driver lost control.

Officers pursued the Honda on Burnside Avenue earlier Monday morning, but the chase was called off and was not connected to the crash, according to police.

Silver Lane was closed for hours from Forbes Street to the Manchester town line as police investigated.

“As a community, we grieve the loss of a young man and extend our support and prayers to his family, friends, and our school community. We are working closely with the school system to insure the proper resources are available to assist in the grieving process,” East Hartford Mayor Marcia Leclerc said in a statement.

The driver of the sanitation truck was taken to the hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

Joanne Dunning, who lives near the crash scene, said the car caught fire moments after the impact.

"I heard a big bang and I thought a transformer was exploding," she said

The East Hartford Police Department Accident Reconstruction Team is investigating and has obtained voluntary statements from witnesses who saw this crash occur.

Additional witnesses are asked to call the East Hartford Police Department at 860-528-4401.